News about Tap and Bottled Water: Can This Influence People’s Choices?

Queiroz, Josiane Teresinha Matos de

doi:10.4236/jep.2012.34041

Cited by 15 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 36 publications

(36 reference statements)

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“…Thus, in this particular case, providing information on the positive environmental benefits of tap water is unlikely to lead to behavioral change. The reluctance of consumers to drink tap water rather than bottled water is strengthened by distrust in political elites and institutions (Hawkins, ) and the portrayal of tap water in the media (see also Holt, ; Queiroz, ).…”

Section: Assessment Of the Commission's Strategies In Light Of The LImentioning

confidence: 99%

Making Europe go from bottles to the tap: Political and societal attempts to induce behavioral change

et al. 2020

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In several European countries and at the level of the European Union, we can observe political and societal attempts to promote the use of tap water. Most prominently, the European Commission proposed revisions for the Drinking Water Directive, which includes strategies for promoting the consumption of tap water. The strategies comprise the following: improving access to tap water, upgrading quality standards for tap water, and enhancing transparency concerning the benefits of tap water. National initiatives in European countries pursue similar strategies that concentrate on enhancing access to tap water and communicating its economic, environmental, and social benefits. By drawing on existent literature in different disciplines, we assess how promising these strategies are for inducing individuals to drink tap water rather than bottled water. Our overview reveals that our knowledge regarding the quality dimension is very good: numerous studies on European countries have shown that dissatisfaction with the sensory properties and health-related concerns prevent individuals from drinking (more) tap water and opting for bottled water instead. The body of research with a specific focus on Europe is significantly smaller concerning the other two dimensions: access to tap water and the benefits of tap water. Nonetheless, there is indicative and preliminary evidence that improved access to tap water and a better communication of the benefits of tap water could positively affect consumption patterns.

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Section: Assessment Of the Commission's Strategies In Light Of The LImentioning

confidence: 99%

Making Europe go from bottles to the tap: Political and societal attempts to induce behavioral change

et al. 2020

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“…This can be reinforced when there is distrust of the government, and by the information portrayed in the media and marketing strategies. In consequence, all these factors become influential for the consumption of bottled water instead of tap water [28,29]. As mentioned earlier, some studies argue that to elicit effective behavioral change, attitudes and beliefs and the factors that modulate them have to be taken into account.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions and Consumption of Bottled Water at the University of the Basque Country: Showcasing Tap Water as the Real Alternative towards a Water-Sustainable University

2018

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This paper examines the beliefs and environmental attitudes of university individuals towards bottled and tap water use and examines tap and bottled water availability and sales volumes at the University of the Basque Country. The research employed a mixed methods approach including (i) an exploratory survey to document environmental beliefs and behaviors towards bottled and tap water; (ii) written questionnaires addressed to faculty administrators to inquire about accessibility to tap water and, (iii) personal interviews with restaurant managers to inquire about sales volumes of bottled water. Respondents to our survey predominately drink tap water and no health or taste issues associated with its consumption are perceived among respondents reporting to drink two or fewer bottles per week. These results imply that in our context, there are positive perceptions towards tap water and pro-environmental behavior regarding water consumption. However, respondents also claimed to use reused plastic water bottles as the most common tap water container. Moreover, there was widespread presence of bottled water sales at university premises, confirming the ubiquity of this commodity worldwide. Collectively, both survey and sales volume analyses suggest that a greater shift in sustainable behavior is needed in our community. Regarding measures and policies to promote tap water accessibility, considerable differences were found within and between campuses. These findings should help to inform university managers and support sustainability goals where bottled water consumption could be minimized or even eliminated.

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“…Bottled water is often referred to as one of capitalism’s greatest mysteries: “The packaging and selling of something that is already freely available” (Queiroz, Rosenberg, Heller, Zhouri, & Silva, 2012, p. 328). Indeed, while in many countries perfectly safe water from the tap is offered at little or no cost (Wilk, 2006), the consumption of bottled water around the world has exploded in the past decade, increasing vastly and steadily (Beverage Marketing Corporation [BMC], 2012).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring Beliefs About Bottled Water and Intentions to Reduce Consumption

Linden

2013

Environment and Behavior

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Mass consumption of bottled water is contributing to a multitude of environmental problems, including water wastage, pollution, and climate change. The aim of this study is to advance a social-psychological understanding of how to effectively reduce bottled water consumption. An online survey experiment was conducted among students of a Dutch public university to explore outcome beliefs about drinking less bottled water while testing three strategies for behavioral change. Respondents (N = 454) were randomly allocated to four different conditions (an information-only, social norm-only, a combination of both, or a control group). It was hypothesized that the combination (i.e., norm-induced information provision) would be most persuasive and elicit the greatest reduction in intentions to buy bottled water. Results were consistent with this hypothesis. Findings also show that while beliefs about health, taste, water quality, lifestyle, the environment, and perceived alternatives are all correlated with bottled water consumption, belief strength varies significantly based on rate of consumption.

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News about Tap and Bottled Water: Can This Influence People’s Choices?

Cited by 15 publications

References 36 publications

Making Europe go from bottles to the tap: Political and societal attempts to induce behavioral change

Making Europe go from bottles to the tap: Political and societal attempts to induce behavioral change

Perceptions and Consumption of Bottled Water at the University of the Basque Country: Showcasing Tap Water as the Real Alternative towards a Water-Sustainable University

Exploring Beliefs About Bottled Water and Intentions to Reduce Consumption

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